Picture a perfect sunny day, gentle breeze, and a low bug count! Whether you are the type to lay a blanket out on the ground or head to a park with a nice picnic table, this list of picnic food ideas is for you!
So, instead of slaving away in the kitchen, these easy-to-make foods offer the opportunity to relax and take it easy. I just have to throw a few things together, nothing elaborate, and everything is ready within minutes!
We cover drink ideas, main dish ideas, and dessert. Of course, you should also consider snacks.
Picnic Food Ideas
Let’s start off with the easiest ones and then take it a notch higher.
Drink ideas
Strawberry Lemonade
When it comes to taking drinks on picnics, many people just go for the store-bought stuff. I like to keep it all-natural, so I love making the drinks at home.
I have never gone wrong with this strawberry lemonade and you will love it too. There is no better way to use fresh strawberries and you just have to give it a try to experience the freshness.
Ingredients:
• Strawberries
• White sugar
• Water
• Lemon juice
Read here for the full instructions.
Sun tea
Is there a better picnic drink than sun tea? I think not! Sun tea is a tea that is brewed under the heat of the sun. It takes about 5 hours to brew this tea on a sunny day. So with that said, you may want to brew it in advance and then take it with you on the picnic. My suggestion is to brew it in a big glass container and then just pack it along with everything else. Then, when you get set up and ready for a drink, pour it over some ice, and you are good to go.
Ingredients:
• A gallon glass container or a 2-quart pitcher
• 4 to 8 tea bags
• Filtered water
• Your choice of liquid sweetener (honey, agave, simple syrup, or a combination)
Check out the recipe here.
Cucumber water
When it is hot outside and you are looking for something simple and refreshing consider this cucumber water. This is one of my favorite drinks. When I first learned about it I was quite skeptical. If you are too, just give it a try.
Ingredients:
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup of water
• 1 t. Sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 dash tajin
Check out the recipe here.
Main Dish Ideas
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Cowboy Caviar
First, what is it? If you aren’t familiar with the name, it can be a bit misleading. It is a dip made with black-eyed peas, black beans, red onions, sweet corn, cilantro, bell peppers, and seasonings.
You can make this easily at home and even add your own twist to the recipe. It takes minutes to put it all together, but to really get that awesome flavor you want to allow it to chill in the fridge.
I suggest making this the day before but if you can’t do that give it a good hour in the fridge before you eat it.
Just toss all the ingredients together, and you will have easy, inexpensive picnic food. We always serve it with tortilla chips. If you want to get extra fancy, consider blue tortilla chips.
Check out the recipe I use!
Muffuletta Sandwich
Any sandwich is a great idea for party food because it does not take much time to make. You just need to stuff a few ingredients on top of a bun, and it is done.
The crusty Italian bread and melding of flavors make a Muffuletta sandwich a must-have picnic food. I like to try different sandwich recipes every time I go on a picnic, but it is fair to say that Muffuletta Sandwich is my best comfort food.
If you give this sandwich a try get creative. Use the recipe as inspiration but create your own masterpiece.
Want to give this a try?
Basic Muffuletta Ingredients:
• Italian bread or Muffuletta bread
• Olive salad
• Meats such as salami and ham
• Cheeses such as provolone and mozzarella
The recipes vary but the idea is to make a round sandwich by stuffing it will a lot of goodies.
Check out the recipe here.
Curried chicken tea sandwiches
Chicken salad sandwiches are a staple picnic food. This recipe takes them to the next level. The curry is ever-so-slightly subtle but provides the perfect amount of flavor to make this sandwich unique.
Be sure to wrap these sandwiches carefully and keep them cold. Call me silly, but I love to cut them into four squares or triangles to make them even more visually appealing.
Ingredients:
• cubed chicken
• red-apple
• dried cranberries
• celery
• chopped pecans
• green onion
• mayonnaise
• lime juice
• curry powder
Check out the recipe here.
Desserts
Lemon Pie Bars
A picnic without a dessert does not feel right, so I have a few selections here.
The lemon pie bars are my favorite because they bring a zesty flavor and complement almost all the other picnic food ideas.
Ingredients:
• Flour
• Sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
Here’s the recipe I use.
Cheesecake in a jar
Generally speaking, cheesecake is not all that portable, but when you put it in a jar, everything changes. This is a no-bake recipe, meaning it is quick to put together.
Now let’s talk about that jar. We purchased an 8-pack of mason jars quite a while back and kept them on hand for various recipes and situations.
However, if you don’t have jars on hand for this recipe, don’t stress. Use plastic containers. Don’t let the lack of jars keep you from making something delicious for your picnic.
Check out the recipe here.
Peanut butter fudge
This creamy fudge requires only 7 ingredients. You most likely have everything you need in your pantry. It travels easily, making it a fantastic picnic dessert.
Ingredients:
• 2 c brown sugar
• 1 ½ c creamy peanut butter
• 2 ½ c confectioners (powdered) sugar
• ½ c butter
• ½ c milk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• ¼ t salt
Check out the recipe here.
The bottom line
Hopefully, this guide has given you some great picnic food ideas to make your next picnic hassle-free. With the list of ideas given above, you should not have a problem planning your next picnic with your family or friends.
I have tried them all, and I love how easy they are to put together. So, the next time you want to save time preparing picnic food, try them.
Picnic Food Ideas (Drinks, Main Dish, Desserts)
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Ingredients
Drink ideas:
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Sun tea
- Cucumber water
Main Dish Ideas:
- Cowboy Caviar
- Muffuletta Sandwich
- Curried chicken tea sandwiches
Dessert:
- Lemon Pie Bars
- Cheesecake in a jar
- Peanut butter fudge
Instructions
- Pick out a few picnic food ideas to try.
- Tell us your favorites below.
Everything here looks delicious! I enjoy going on a picnic myself with
the family or friends and being able to make small finger sandwiches and iced tea.
@tisonlyme143
I’m craving a glass of that strawberry lemonade!! Yum!
Lemon Pie Bars? I’m in!!!
Thanks for the great ideas! We are having a picnic this weekend.
interesting drinks
These are some great ideas. I can not wait to try those scrumptious recipes.
Curried chicken tea sandwiches…new to me! Sounds delish!
Muffuletta Sandwich because REALLY how can there ever be too much cheese in a sandwich?????
Thanks for all these great ideas..
Thanks for the amazing ideas…
Awesome. Try them all.
All the picnic food ideas sound delicious! I’ll be making the lemon pie bars very soon. Great summer dessert!
Oh we love lemon bars.
Love picnic foods!
They are so fun.
Strawberry lemonade sounds delicious.
These are all great ideas.
I love having picnics
this looks great thanks
cool
i love cooking and eating outside. thank you
Our favourite summertime activity is going on picnics.
Picnics are awesome!